A Complement is a word or group of words that completes the meaning of a verb.
The 4 Kinds of Complements.
Direct Objects
Indirect Objects
Object Complements
Subject Complements (Predicate Nominatives and Predicate Adjectives)
Direct Objects answer the question what? or whom? after an action verb. They are also nouns, pronouns, or words acting as nouns, and they may be compound. Only transitive verbs have direct objects.
Examples of a Direct Object:
Estella sold her computer. -She sold what? The computer.
Tamara watched the professor. -She watched whom? The professor.
Estella sold her computer and radio. -This is a compound direct object. You do NOT include and.
Indirect Objects answers the questions to whom, for whom, to what or for what? after an action verb. A sentence can have an indirect object ONLY if it has a direct object as well. It also always comes between the verb and the direct object. Notice that if you add the word to or for in front of an indirect object, the sentence will still make sense.
Example:
Rami left Jennifer a message. - Jennifer is the indirect object.
Rami left a message for Jennifer. -Jennifer is no longer an indirect object, Jennifer is now the object of the preposition.
Examples of Indirect objects:
Mrs.Abood gave us the test. - Mrs.Abood gave the test to whom? Us.
Ahmad bought Jeremy and Sean candy. - Ahmad bought the candy for whom? Jeremy, Sean.
Object Complements answers the question what? after a direct object. It completes the meaning of the direct object by identifying or describing it. They only occur in sentences with direct objects and only in those sentences with the following action verbs or with similar verbs that have the general meaning of "make" or "consider":
Appoint
Call
Choose
Consider
Elect
Find
Make
Name
Prove
Render
Think
Vote
Examples of Object Complements:
The bonus made Susan happy.-The bonus made Susan what? Happy.
I named my dog Sadie. -I named my dog what? Sadie.
Our cat considers that pillow hers. She considers that pillow what? Hers.
A Subject Complement follows a subject and a linking verb and identifies or describes the subject.
Two Kinds of Subject Complements:
Predicate Nominative
Predicate Adjective
A Predicate Nominativeaka a Predicate Noun is a noun or a pronoun that follows a linking verb and points back to the subject to rename it or identify it further.
Examples of Predicate Nominatives:
Cellists are musicians.
The soloist for this concert is someone from Dallas.
My favorite singer is he.
Another thing about Predicate Nominatives is that they can be found after other linking verbs such as become or remain.
Examples of this:
Alexis remains an admirer and a friend.
That class became a challenge for me.
A Predicate Adjective is an adjective that follows a linking verb and points back to the subject and further describes it.
Examples of Predicate Adjectives:
My sister is generous.
Some doctors are compassionate.
Predicate Adjectives may follow any linking verbs such as:
I feel very insecure.
The boy appeared happy.
The milk tastes sour.
Practice! Identify each complement by writingDO,IO,OC,PN, andPA.There may be more than one in a sentence.
A Complement is a word or group of words that completes the meaning of a verb.
The 4 Kinds of Complements.
Direct Objects answer the question what? or whom? after an action verb. They are also nouns, pronouns, or words acting as nouns, and they may be compound. Only transitive verbs have direct objects.
Examples of a Direct Object:
Indirect Objects answers the questions to whom, for whom, to what or for what? after an action verb. A sentence can have an indirect object ONLY if it has a direct object as well. It also always comes between the verb and the direct object. Notice that if you add the word to or for in front of an indirect object, the sentence will still make sense.
Example:
Examples of Indirect objects:
Object Complements answers the question what? after a direct object. It completes the meaning of the direct object by identifying or describing it. They only occur in sentences with direct objects and only in those sentences with the following action verbs or with similar verbs that have the general meaning of "make" or "consider":
Examples of Object Complements:
A Subject Complement follows a subject and a linking verb and identifies or describes the subject.
Two Kinds of Subject Complements:
A Predicate Nominative aka a Predicate Noun is a noun or a pronoun that follows a linking verb and points back to the subject to rename it or identify it further.
Examples of Predicate Nominatives:
- Cellists are musicians.
- The soloist for this concert is someone from Dallas.
- My favorite singer is he.
Another thing about Predicate Nominatives is that they can be found after other linking verbs such as become or remain.Examples of this:
A Predicate Adjective is an adjective that follows a linking verb and points back to the subject and further describes it.
Examples of Predicate Adjectives:
- My sister is generous.
- Some doctors are compassionate.
Predicate Adjectives may follow any linking verbs such as:- I feel very insecure.
- The boy appeared happy.
- The milk tastes sour.
Practice!Identify each complement by writing DO, IO, OC, PN, and PA. There may be more than one in a sentence.